Sunday, January 8, 2012

New Takes On Old Doors: Salvaged Doors Repurposed

If you haven't already noticed, there's something about salvaging and repurposing that really excites me!

There are so many ways that you can repurpose and reuse an old door inside of (and outside of!) your home. Think creatively. What could you do with an old door? Check out these new takes on old doors and be inspired!

Get this look with decoupage and old wallpaper. What a beautiful accent piece!

I love old doors! I've seen a few on the side of the road lately (people throw away the weirdest stuff), and I'm itching to take one home and make something. If only we had a garage or other place to work, I'd go to town!

I love old doors. I am looking for a dainty-ish pair now to make into closet doors for a closet in my bedroom. I love that chippy old paint too but I usually seal it as it is most likely lead based paint! I used old doors a lot in my old store to make room dividers/screens to deliniate different areas. I love old screen doors especially. Is it dumb to wish I didn't have central air so I could leave my kitchen door with just the screen door closed during the summer? (I wonder how long it would take my family to yell if I shut off the air and opened the doors? LOL)I just love that old squeak and bang..just like Godsey's Store on The Waltons...and my gramma's house! Great post!

I use spray lacquer on old metal, old doors, old clock faces and everything else whose patina I want to save and seal. It comes in satin which has virtually no sheen. Love this collection of uses for old doors as I am a big fan, also.Ginene

Kraftylady in Ky I have a nephew that took 4 doors and made a closet for their washer & dryer in the bathroom. take doors and made several headboard for beds. One with Mirror (full lenght) One on the wall for his wife the place a wreath on.

Seriously, I have no words. Let's start with creative, awesome and amazing blog! Love love love it. Looking forward to seeing more! (Ex-corporate with MBA turned artist). From one artist to another who appreciates beauty - nice to find you here! Danyka, www.danykacollection.com

Need help! i have been wanting to create my own headboard using doors that I already have. They are the doors that were for my closet and they are about half the size of a normal door, similar to the "antique doors on rollers". I know that I want to hang them verticaly (there are 4) however I am new at this, and dont know how I would go about decorating them, bonding them, etc... Any ideas??? I want them to be some what modern, antique wont fit well with my current room. Thanks

To get some ideas look through some decorating magazines or decorating websites. Houzz.com is a good place to start. Once you know exactly how you'd like them to look - once you've chosen your paint colors, etc. then I would look into types of paint that would go with your surface (depending on what material your doors are made from) I have a good blog post a few weeks back about how to paint different surfaces. Don't forget to use primer if you are going to paint them. For the actual building, I would consult a friend who has carpentry skills (if you need assistance in that area), and also ask the folks who work at the hardware store. I am always asking them how I would go about doing this or that. They are always very helpful. The hardest part of this project for me would be deciding how I would like them to look and then getting started. Once you get started the rest of the project usually falls right into place! Just take it step by step and go for it! Good luck!

I've pinned at least half these ideas! I got an idea a corner media center that I've been struggling with for a couple of years for a too-small, multi-purpose room! Use a windowed door upside down (windows on the bottom.) Mount flat screen TV on the solid portion with wires behind it (and no hunting for studs or making nasty holes in the wall!), and electronics at the bottom behind the windows for remote access. Or use the door with the open design work at the bottom for air circulation to electronics. So glad I found this site before we replace our old windowed exterior doors!

I just found your blog, and became your newest follower just as quickly! I love old doors, and these pictures have just given me another dozen ideas of things I want to do. Gorgeous pieces, just gorgeous!!!

I love this post!! I am in dire need of advice about a salvaged door, and am apologizing in advance for the length of this comment. Just feel you need to see the whole picture and can maybe help me out. I recently found an excellent door similar to the 3rd picture on your post and did the exact same thing with it. I put it up in place of my boring hollow builder grade door to the basement- instant LOVE! It even has a skeleton key!! The dilemma is that her twin sister is still available ($50 with all the original beveled glass!!!!). She is the perfect size to replace my current front door. I live in a subdivision where all of our front doors are the same cheap, plain 6 panel doors with no glass. Most of them, mine included, have this weird flaw that caused the metal to ripple on the exterior side that only highlights the fact that they are cheap doors. The icing on the cake of my front door hate is that this thing gets dangerously hot at sunset to the point that i have to put a towel on the handle and you will seriously regret it if you accidentally brush against it at 7 pm on a sunny July evening. Due to the design of the house I have no front facing windows in main living area, only in my bedroom. I would love some natural light in entry. I have weighed the security and privacy concerns with this door, and with an alarm system, safe neighborhood and a nice window covering these are not major concerns. The only reason I haven't snatched this beauty up is that I am so afraid I will regret installing this door in the winter. I live in Southern Ohio. Winter here is cold but not arctic. My husband and I are completely clueless as to how energy efficient/ deficient of a choice this would be because neither if us has ever lived in a house with this type of door. Our current door probably has a -500 eRating so last year we installed a well insulated storm door with a plain glass front to help with it's deficiencies. I have been seriously agonizing over this decision, and found an ounce of helpful advice. I have high hopes that I can get some guidance from another salvaged door lover.....please!!!!!! :)

Oh my gosh Amanda, I really don't know what to tell you. I guess you could always give it a shot and see how it works out for you, and if you're unhappy with the door you could switch it back to your old one. Good luck with your decision!

go for it. If you already have a storm door that will help with the insulating factor. Just fill in all the cracks with wood putty, make sure the windows are sealed around the edges well and use the felt insulation strips around the outside.

Or is it possible you could mount the door to the one in place, maybe even use some pine garland to hide the obvious edges of the door sticking out. You would have to be creative for the functionality of the door handle, I think you could pull it off. Just think, "outside the door!" Hope this helps!

I love that look! To mimic the look of the old wallpapered door what I would do is apply paper (and you probably could use any kind of paper - old maps, etc) let it dry completely then carefully peel/tear back sections to get the same effect as the door in the photo - then I would stain it all with a tea stain to give it that old kind of grimy look, let dry completely, then I would give the entire thing a coat of matte decoupage medium to seal it, just as you would with a small decoupage on wood project. It's just large scale.

I'm just LOVING your blog! I found you a few months back when you featured my encyclopedia coasters and I've been coming back ever since! I've loved old doors for so long and you've got some lovely ideas here for using them. I just started repurposing vintage cabinet doors into art pieces using the same technique that I use for my coasters. LOVE using unique materials in unexpected ways. Thanks for your gorgeous blog! Keep up the great work!

Truly inspired by the ORANGE door above (the one with the cactus) This is EXACTLY what I want to do with doors I just found on the side of the road. They have chipping white and green paint with a light brown finish and have two paneled glass running all the way down. How do I go about restoring them and painting them orange/ but lightly and vintage (as the photo shows)? Should I strip the white paint on them now OR will that damage the beautiful weathered look that they have naturally?

Hi, I was thrilled to see my door pictured! Thank you for considering it worthy of your excellent blog.

I found that door in the backyard of the Habitat For Humanity Restore in Corvallis, Oregon. Would you believe it cost me a whopping, $7.00? It wasn't marked so I asked one of the workers and he just rattled off a random, "Ah, how 'bout seven bucks?" I was trying to keep my cool with a nonchalant "Okay, I'll take it," while doing summer salts in my head! Major score. I'm not usually so lucky. :) Thanks for sharing.

I have some old doors that I want to make shelves out of, but since they are old, I fear that the paint is lead base. Any advice on how to seal them or something so the lead based paint isn't a problem?

Coolness! Yeah, umm my wife and I live in a parsonage and our church won't spring for a garage door for the carport. We live in the parking lot where the church building is. We need a semi-carport to function as a patio because we have almost zero backyard/zero privacy. Where do you buy the track and "track slider things" for the barn door up top? I have no idea where to buy that hardware that isn't astronomically priced?? Could you help a brother out? I really want to do something for my wife because this kind of project would make her so happy. Thanks!!

Some absolutely splendid ideas! Now I have to go looking for old doors. I want 4 glass-paned ones to make a wind break on my deck. They can come down in the summer, but in the winter my poor animals get no shelter other than living in my garage. What a great way to break the weather!

I'd like to know if you think it's feasible to hang 2 doors on a wall that I could take down and put on sawhorses when I want to use them as dining tables for family gatherings. I have a small living-room and dining rom combo and don't want the dining tables all the time, but am happy to move the living room furniture to one end of this long room in order to have the dining tables up. I'd like the doors to function as large art on the wall and then I'd like to take them down for these gatherings. How would you hang them? What could I use to make the wall pretty when they are removed?

That's a great idea that is sure to be a space-saver. If I were to do that project, I would first make sure that the wall is strong enough to hold the doors, and that you use the proper hardware so that they are securely hung on your wall. To do this, I would get the opinion of someone at the hardware store who has experience hanging heavy objects, as I'm sure they would need to be anchored to the walls due to their weight. (meaning, I would not merely use a hammer and nails, but use anchors). Next, I would make the doors themselves into works of art, probably with a stencil and paint, and then of course with some type of topcoat sealant to protect the artwork. I would also be sure to do a lead test to make sure that the doors that you want to use as tables do not contain lead paint. You can buy lead paint test kits at hardware stores. As for how to decorate the wall behind the doors, you could use vinyl wall art or maybe even just have some alternate art that you can hang from the same hardware that the doors hang on that you put up when you take the doors down. Sounds like a fun project! Good luck!

I have a door table, lady i got it from says it's an authentic spanish village door. However, it looks dirty and does not have a smooth finish. Should I sand it down and apply a finish? Or will it ruin the value and authenticity of the door?

Hi, If you think something may be a valuable antique, always check with an expert before doing any cleaning or refinishing. I would look for someone who specializes in antique furniture and ask their opinion. Good luck!